Demand for pregnancy test dropped by Iberia airline, after a massive fine

Iberia airline of Spain, which has merged with British Airways in 2010, has been demanding the female candidates who were applying for jobs to have pregnancy tests together with the other medical tests. This was found out by the employment officials of Balearic Islands during a campaign to combat discrimination in the work place.

Iberia Airlines has been fined €25,000 for this offence.

The airline argued that the test has been made only with the intention to free the pregnant women from possible risks.

And also mentioned that this type of tests are normal in Spain.

But this explanation has been ridiculed by the media. The contributors to the social media has referred that the airline has to improve the arguments. While enquiring the case, the inspectors have further found that the recruitment has been handed over to a company, Randstad, which carried out the tests on the candidates during the recruitment procedures.

Iberia also argued that they have not rejected any candidates based on the test. But the authorities stated the offence as “a serious act of gender discrimination”.

The airline has now said it will drop the requirement for such tests and “trust” female employees to notify their bosses of pregnancies.